Most gun-friendly state?

[steadyrock]

Howdy,

I have tried to find information using Google but I can't seem to turn anything up. What is the most gun-friendly Western state by law (by Western I mean one of: WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO, NM, or TX)? I am looking to include CCW issuance (hopefully more than just shall-issue/may-issue, but the actual criteria to meet for issuance) as well as lack of restrictions on transport by car, hi-cap mags, waiting periods, heck even percentage of population that are gun owners. This is a lot of data to collect and sort, so anecdotal references are welcome as well. At first blush it seems like it would be TX, ID, or MT but that might not be the case. Anybody have any ideas, or know a good resource where I can find out?

[Hunter]

Need to add AK to the top of that list.

[Knauga]

Don't forget VT at the top of that list as well.

[bulgron]

Don't forget VT at the top of that list as well.

He said he wanted western states.

[steadyrock]

VT is not a Western state, and there's no way in he** I'd get my wife and kids to move to AK with me. ;)

[Hunter]

VT is not a Western state, and there's no way in he** I'd get my wife and kids to move to AK with me. ;)

You didn't say you were looking to move, only that you wanted the most gun friendly state in the west and i gave you that. Now you want not the "most" friendly, but a close second?:p

[heycorey]

The NRA has a nice web-site that covers the gun laws of various states ... http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/. (http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/)

Alaska not withstanding, Texas and Arizona are pretty solid gun-friendly states. Colorado is still relatively friendly. Though Denver, specifically, has had an influx of Californians (also referred to as being Californicated) and has started passing anti-gun legislation in the past few years. I'm guessing some of the other states (like Wyoming) you've listed are good-to-go as well, though I'm not as familiar with those. The NRA site spells it out pretty well.

California doesn't even belong on your list. Washington and Oregon aren't far behind.

By the way, thanks for that link to The Survival Digest ... I like it!

[formerTexan]

OR and WA are good to go. OR is better between the two if you're looking strictly at gun laws. OR is NFA friendly (mgs, sbs/sbrs, etc), while WA, you are allowed to possess suppressors, but NOT use them (their wording in the law slipped).

WA, CCW is easiest to get, just show up at a county sheriff's office, fill out an app, get fingerprinted, and you get it in 30 days or less. Less than 60 bux, basically the cost of the FBI background check that they run. OR has training requirements, and is not shall issue to non-residents, its discretionary to residents who reside in adjoining states, who must apply at the OR county that they live next to.

WA does have a 5 day waiting period on handguns, but if you have a CCW, that is waived. OR has none of that nonsense. No restrictions on mags or rifle configurations, no "non un-safe list of handguns", in either state.

[odysseus]

So what gives about Nevada? Not seeing it mentioned...

[steadyrock]

Fifth in the list. Between AZ and ID. :)

heycorey: Thanks for the linkage. I should have thought to check the NRA. :kest:

[Hunter]

Fifth in the list. Between AZ and ID. :)

heycorey: Thanks for the linkage. I should have thought to check the NRA. :kest:

If you are just looking at the laws, AK is obivously #1 with esentially zero restrictions, not even a permit for CCW. But I would put ID and MT tied for 2nd. No CCW permit needed for outside cities. Then the rest of the states would follow with AZ, TX, OR ect.. CO would be last for the reasons mentioned about Denver as well as NV for the Clark county restrictions. These rest group pretty similar in the middle.

[Fjold]

I thought that Montana would be way up there.

[RomanDad]

Indiana

[Hunter]

Indiana

I maybe biased, but I wouldn't call Indiana a Western state.

[steadyrock]

Thanks for the analysis Hunter. I'd tend to agree with you on ID and MT...I spent the first 25 years of my life in ID and it is a gun lover's paradise. You talked about "just looking at the laws", what else would you consider looking at? Public perception? Percentage of gun owners? Friendly LEO/DOJ? The laws are obviously the most important but I'm also trying to get a good overall sense of firearms ownership in these states. That's the difficult stuff to quantify without knowing someone who has/does live there.

[RomanDad]

I maybe biased, but I wouldn't call Indiana a Western state.

I thought everything West of the Holland Tunnel is "The West"?

[Hunter]

I thought everything West of the Holland Tunnel is "The West"?

Well in my book (did I say I was biased?), anything east of the continental divide is "The East":D

[yellowfin]

Here's Idaho's permit application. http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v232/186/113/27431207/n27431207_37441181_2017.jpg Simple application, less than $100 fee, same week processing, shall issue. That gets the job done just fine for them, and they've got a lot more permits in circulation than CA with no problems. So what then, given that, can anti-CCW sheriffs, AG, and DOJ say for themselves? Hmm? What makes a person unfit for the same courtesy here as there? Does the sun rise in the north here, or gravity go sideways?

[LAK Supply]

Wyoming is one of the friendliest gun states in the country.... there are also very few people, excellent jobs, ever-changing scenery, no state tax, low property and sales tax, etc.

Machine guns, suppressors, CCW, open carry, tracers & incendiary, carry in the national parks if this rule goes through, and most gun owners per-capita out of the 50 states. :D:D:D http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/interactives/guns/ownership.html

Did I mention that all of the cool fireworks are legal? :D:D

[Ding126]

My vote goes to Arizona. Where you can own just about anything. Carry open & loaded, right to carry, SBR's Supressors & Full Auto. ( Right next door )

[-hanko]

Simple application, less than $100 fee, same week processing, shall issue. That gets the job done just fine for them, and they've got a lot more permits in circulation than CA with no problems. So what then, given that, can anti-CCW sheriffs, AG, and DOJ say for themselves? Hmm? What makes a person unfit for the same courtesy here as there? Does the sun rise in the north here, or gravity go sideways?
ID allows up to 2 or 3 months to approve the application. Around 2002, county sheriffs were given the option of requiring training and a proficiency test. Only county I'm aware of with that requirement now is Ada (Boise and suburbs).

Proof of residency is required, ID state DL is not. I got my initial CWL in ID with my TX CHL as id and closing papers on my ID house as proof of residency.

Our local sheriff (Canyon county) feels CWL's prevent crime;). A novel concept if CA is your only reference point.

-hanko

[Pred@tor]

I was just in Montana this past week and I loved it there! I just got back last night. I wanna move out there!

[Piper]

OR and WA are good to go. OR is better between the two if you're looking strictly at gun laws. OR is NFA friendly (mgs, sbs/sbrs, etc), while WA, you are allowed to possess suppressors, but NOT use them (their wording in the law slipped).

WA, CCW is easiest to get, just show up at a county sheriff's office, fill out an app, get fingerprinted, and you get it in 30 days or less. Less than 60 bux, basically the cost of the FBI background check that they run. OR has training requirements, and is not shall issue to non-residents, its discretionary to residents who reside in adjoining states, who must apply at the OR county that they live next to.

WA does have a 5 day waiting period on handguns, but if you have a CCW, that is waived. OR has none of that nonsense. No restrictions on mags or rifle configurations, no "non un-safe list of handguns", in either state.

I had a WA CCW way back in '77 while I was stationed at Ft. Lewis. At that time it cost me 15.00 and I had it in 30 days. The GC was "sports and protection", that's it. Even though I was an MP, I was still somewhat apprehensive because I was used to CA CCW laws. But the people at the Pierce County Sheriff's Office were very helpful and didn't even blink when I asked for the application. They took my finger prints, and we chatted about the difference between being a military cop and a county cop. That was my pleasant experience with a RTC state versus CA.

[Josh3239]

Oops, western states. Well Texas, Arizona, and Nevada are all pretty good.

Vermont is the most gun friendly state that I can think of.

-No permits
-No registrations
-Concealed and open carry is completely legal w/o any liscensing or permits
-No AWB
-NFA is completely legal
-Children over the age of 16 may possess handguns with parental consent
-State is completely silent on Antiques and Replicas

[FlyingPen]

What are CCW laws in TX like and how NFA friendly are they?

I'm thinking about perhaps maybe moving to Austin but I'm not sure. I know the city of Austin is pretty liberal so I'm hoping they don't have weird SF like laws.

[thisismyboomstick]

http://www.spreadfirearms.com/faq.html

[dndgeek]

http://www.stategunlaws.org/viewstate.php?st=AR

the best state is the one with the lowest score :)

[Coffee]

http://www.stategunlaws.org/viewstate.php?st=AR

the best state is the one with the lowest score :)

That's an extremely useful link... thanks.

[pdq_wizzard]

http://www.stategunlaws.org/viewstate.php?st=AR

the best state is the one with the lowest score :)

what about Utah?

I lived in Wyoming for ~8 years and I went to many gun shows in Utah.

so wyoming has an 11 and Utah has a 4.....

I think I want to move to Utah :43: and it is a western state....

[LAK Supply]

Their site is a bit inaccurate.... they say we have partial state gun dealer regulations (we do not), and that guns cannot legally be carried on a college campus. OC is completely legal on a college campus.... CCW requires a note from the administrator. OC is a right protected by the state constitution.

[tunder]

Originally Posted by dndgeek
http://www.stategunlaws.org/viewstate.php?st=AR

the best state is the one with the lowest score

Lowest score depending on what your priorities are.
It's also not been updated in a while.
Missouri now has a score of 2 or 1 depending on how you interpret the categories..:D

[PLINK]

What state has good guns laws and California weather?

Trees and grass is a plus.

[NiteQwill]

What state has good guns laws and California weather?

Trees and grass is a plus.

Oregon is not too bad. A little more trees, of course ;)

[DedEye]

Oregon and Washington are more suited to a Northern Californian's climate, and are pretty gun friendly to boot ;).

[Ford8N]

http://www.stategunlaws.org/viewstate.php?st=AR

the best state is the one with the lowest score :)

Great site. My other state is very close to the bottom.;)

[redcliff]

Oregon and Washington are more suited to a Northern Californian's climate, and are pretty gun friendly to boot ;).

Southern Oregon (Medford) has a climate very similar to Redding. Would be a decent place to move to.

Washington is beautiful, but no SBR's are allowed there if I'm not mistaken? Plus Seattle is very liberal so I think gun control will be getting worse there.

I've thought about relocating eventually, I think Idaho or Montana might be worth a shot. I like trees, grass and rivers, so Nevada and Arizona hasn't interested me much, but maybe I've not looked in the right place. Cost of housing is important and the only place I've seen trees in Nevada is Lake Tahoe and it's pricey.

[bdsmchs]

Southern Oregon (Medford) has a climate very similar to Redding. Would be a decent place to move to.

Washington is beautiful, but no SBR's are allowed there if I'm not mistaken? Plus Seattle is very liberal so I think gun control will be getting worse there.


I've got some friends in washington. Silencers are legal to purchase/own, but not shoot. SBR's are not ok, but AOW's are. I have at least 3 friends up there that own serbu super shorty's. I have no idea if it's a machinegun friendly state, but none of them are millionaires so they can't afford them anyways. heh.

[Shane916]

I stayed in Idaho for a while and it was quite common to see people walking down the streets with rifles and handguns. Gun laws their are virtually nonexistent. This was in Hayden Lake/Coeur d’ Alene. It is however the Aryan Nations headquarters so to speak which basically limits the ...shall I say.. diversity of the area.

On the TV show Cops, they had an episode in Idaho where they pulled over an individual who had been convicted 2 times on carrying a concealed weapon. Sure enough, this time again he had a concealed weapon under his seat.... BUT somehow this time he had a permit. Yes... the Sheriff issued a CCW to him even after 2 convictions of violating the CCW..Go figure :)

[Shane916]

I stayed in Idaho for a while and it was quite common to see people walking down the streets with rifles and handguns. Gun laws their are virtually nonexistent. This was in Hayden Lake/Coeur d’ Alene. It is however the Aryan Nations headquarters so to speak which basically limits the ...shall I say.. diversity of the area.

On the TV show Cops, they had an episode in Idaho where they pulled over an individual who had been convicted 2 times on carrying a concealed weapon. Sure enough, this time again he had a concealed weapon under his seat.... BUT somehow this time he had a permit. Yes... the Sheriff issued a CCW to him even after 2 convictions of violating the CCW..The officers were surprised as well!

[CCWFacts]

I thought that Montana would be way up there.

I would put it at the top. They are actively challenging the Federal government over NFA.

[Hunter]

Based on the Brady Center data, for anyone moving out of CA to another western state, just realize that the worst you can do is be 4x better off than you were in CA . And in about 50% of the western states an order of magnitude better than CA!

(lowest number is the most gun friendly per Brady Center data)

AK 4
UT 4
AZ 6
ID 6
NM 6
MT 8
TX 9
WY 11
NV 11
CO 16
WA 18
OR 18
CA 79

[Ford8N]

Vermont ranked a 9!

My state is still a 4.

[steadyrock]

I stayed in Idaho for a while and it was quite common to see people walking down the streets with rifles and handguns. Gun laws their are virtually nonexistent. This was in Hayden Lake/Coeur d’ Alene. It is however the Aryan Nations headquarters so to speak which basically limits the ...shall I say.. diversity of the area.


Actually that's no longer true about the Aryan Nations. Their world headquarters were in Hayden Lake for a long time, but right around the year 2000 they got busted up and the gov't took away all their land and basicdally disbanded the group. They've relocated to somewhere in the Midwest, but they don't have the presence they once did. The former compound is now a museum of tolerance.

I lived in Moscow (just south of CdA) for 5 years between 1995-2000, and honestly I can say that the WP crowd didn't really raise much of a ruckus. They were obviously there, but they stayed to themselves, holed up in their wacky compound out in the woods, and except for one parade each year you never heard from them. Even during the parade, all the problems were caused by protesters and not the WP goons themselves. I think they have some pretty wacked out views which I certainly don't ascribe to, but they weren't ever pushy and didn't try to force anything on anyone, so it never bothered me that much. I think the area got too bad a rep for having them there. Just my $.02.

BEAUTIFUL country, though!